Lethal white guinea pigs are born blind and deaf, with varying dental and health issues. But not every Pink-Eyed White (PEW) guinea pig is a Lethal White.

Before assuming that little PEW in the window is in need of special care, you can answer a few simple questions.

Depending on your answers and the good old-fashioned gut feeling, you can choose to seek further help for an animal who may or may not be thriving in the current situation.

Samson, shown at the top of this page, cannot see. His eyes appear smaller than these normally developed PEW's.

The first and easiest question you can ask is, what kind of a pet store are you in?Chain stores and large corporate stores receive animals from breeders. There are two reasons a lethal white will likely never see the inside of a large chain pet store. Lethal whites would likely not survive the journey. A breeder would not likely release a "defective" animal to a pet store.

This isn't to say it would never happen. The breeder might take the chance that the defects wouldn't be noticed, or would bank on the fact that the store would still try to sell the animal.Small local pet stores work closely with local breeders as well as buy shipments of specialty animals. Some stores are run by family members who have an interest in backyard breeding. These smaller stores may put out a lethal white pig as a special "albino" breed. Particularily high functioning lethals may be presented as something special you ought to have in your home.

Another question to ask is Do you see roaned guinea pigs of a similar age?Do you see roaned patterns on older guinea pigs who may be the parent?In a cage of roaned pigs, the one white pig may be in with his litter mates. An older roaned pig for sale could be the dad or mum who produced the lethal white pig and is no longer desired. Likely, the roaned parent will be a male. Females can keep producing sellable litters while males are easy to come by.

This, of course, may not be a question you can answer. Much depends on the choices a merchant makes in what he puts out on his floor.

Above and below are just a few examples of roan patterned guinea pigs.

Moving to the specific animal, look at the size, and body condition of the PEW.In comparison to others around him, is he thin, or nice and round? Does he hide or seem confused? Or can he keep up with the other pigs as everyone runs away from you? Is he smaller than the others, or is he a similar size?

A lethal white will have trouble eating because his litter-mates will keep him from the food. If the dish is placed in a different spot each day, he will have trouble finding the dish. His teeth may also be deformed or non-existent, so eating and chewing may be painful.Does he seem to run into things like walls or the side of the pigloo?Does he perch on top of the pigloo and seem uncertain if he can come down? Does he prefer to run backwards into corners and huddle? Bumping your butt into a secure corner is preferable to ramming your nose into the wall for the fiftieth time. Look at his eyes.If they are pink and mostly closed, he is probably blind. He has no reason to want to open them all the way, because they have never worked for him. High functioning lethal whites may look similar to a regular guinea pig. But there will be no spark in the eye. Some lethal whites have much smaller eyes or the eyes are not developed at all.

Lethals have dental issues and very small, underdeveloped eyes.

Does he wheek loudly and randomly?He may not wheek while you are there. But if he does, he will be loud and random because he cannot hear himself. Being a guinea pig, wheeking is a thing he does because he can. But it is a not a thing he does in response to anything he can see or hear.

If the pig you see looks like he is thin, small, bullied, or seems lost or confused, he may be a lethal white.

If he backs up a lot, or makes unusually loud noises, or it seems he is stuck on the pigloo and is afraid to jump down, you may want to pursue getting him some help.

You can go to Guinea Lynx and read up on lethal whites. Or contact a guinea pig rescue in your area and ask for help. Ask questions and tell people about what you observed.

Lethal White Guinea Pigs = Financial and Emotional Commitment.

If you feel savvy and brave, and you want to take on the challenge, approach the pet store and see if they will give you the "defective" pig. But if you do this, you need to be prepared to take on medical expenses and the care needed for this animal.

Depending on the extent of his genetic compromises, the pig may need a lot of dental work, and special food and monitoring for health conditions. Dental work entails anesthesia for guinea pigs, which means a high risk of loss for a lethal white, whose body functions are already compromised. Some lethals may need dental work every few months. Add to all of the medical and feeding expenses the risk of heartbreak from losing your baby at a young age.Do not buy or "spring" the animal and assume someone will take it off your hands unless you know you have a solid resource who has already agreed to help you.Many rescues have intake waiting lists that are quite long. Small animal rescues also often work out of their homes. They face a constant challenge of funding and relying on asking for donations with no light at the end of the tunnel in sight.

If you know where the animal will go and you have a solid foundation on which you can move forward, do what is right for the animal. But know, going in, that lethal whites are not a responsibility to take lightly. Any animal you choose to bring into your family is a significant decision to make. A lethal white carries with it more responsibility, both time-wise and in financial terms.

Of course, if you have found a perfectly healthy PEW, your best choice is to let him stay in the pet store. Consider going to your local shelter or contacting a small animal rescue before you buy a pet store pig.

Next blog, let's look at pet store animals and making the best decision you can about whether or not you bring one home.

Samson is an unexpected addition to Helping All Little Things Rescue. He is a special needs boy pulled from a pet store because he has congenital health issues that will need extra care.Samson is what we call a Lethal White.His parents were bred purposely for roan coloring in the offspring.

When breeding for roan, people risk a 1 in 4 chance of breeding a Lethal White. These guinea pigs are knowingly bred to have compromised and likely very short life spans.

Lethal whites rarely live past a few days old.

The ones that do, like Samson who is two months old, are blind and deaf.

Samson is very underweight and dehydrated. Although a vet check revealed that his teeth are in good condition right now, Samson sometimes finds it hard to eat and drink without pain.

It is likely he will have to have dental trimming every few months his whole life. He'll have to go under anesthesia, a high risk for him.

He will also have low immunity to common ailments that most guinea pigs can fight off.

Above is Samson minutes after we arrived home. Look at his posture. He was so dehydrated he did not poop or pee for the first four hours after digging into his Critical Care.

HALT Rescue holds a policy that we will not purchase guinea pigs from a pet store.

In Samson's case, we made an exception.

It is possible that an unknowing, yet loving and well-intentioned person would purchase Samson and bring him home, only to find out about his extensive care needs.

Bringing him into a safe haven environment with educated caregivers will improve his life. He will get good medical care and will eat the things that are best for him to eat.

Two examples of roan guinea pigs who have come through our rescue.

Samson can help us understand his needs, and show us how wonderful life can be, despite his challenges.

Below, as you can see, his "Critical Care" mustache proves how hungry he is and how good it probably feels to have a nice full belly.

Samson responds to none of the visual or audible cues other guinea pigs give him.

His is a life of complete joy and abandon. Even baby guineas respond to the chutters, rumble strutting and pushiness of other pigs in a cage.Aside from a few nose bumps which he avoids by running backward, Samson is carefree in his popcorning and play!

---------In our next blog, we will talk more about the difference between lethal whites and normal pink eyed whites. and maybe more about pet stores and why we do not support them.

Author

Ericka Chadbourne works closely with other small animal rescues to network animals into safe and loving homes. She hopes to help people learn about and better enjoy their small animals by writing about them.